Community
5 December, 2021
Alligators, sharks and sea stinging vermin
IN the 1880s the threat of alligators, sharks and stinging sea vermin made the beaches hazardous for the townsfolk of Cairns, so there were calls to build a safe and protected bathing enclosure.
Finally, a floating bathing enclosure was constructed at the end of the pier to ensure the water would always be clean and fresh. The Cairns Baths were opened with much fanfare by the mayor, Mr. Louis Severin, on 22 February 1888.
In December 1889 it broke from its moorings and took several swimmers out to sea before it was retrieved. A cyclone damaged the baths on March 10, 1918. A new bathing facility was eventually constructed by the swimming community itself. The Cairns Aquatic Club led by Mr. Le Bas built a new enclosure with money from public donations and volunteer labour.
The second Cairns bathing enclosure was opened on November 14, 1921. The water pool was constructed on a slope of six to sixteen feet and included dressing sheds. It was a popular facility with the locals but also attracted some unwelcome visitors. A report in the Northern Herald on February 27, 1924, called for immediate renovation of the enclosure after a stingray “took possession” of the baths for several hours. Also, on the previous day a young woman was taken to hospital after being “severely stung by some poisonous denizen of the ocean”. Three years later another cyclone hit Cairns and the Aquatic Club’s baths were destroyed.
There were many delays in constructing a new bathing facility. The proposed site on the corner of Minnie Street and The Esplanade proved too costly when tenders were called. Then a council engineer suggested Council could build the baths near the old site opposite Anzac Park for £9,075.
The Cairns Swimming Baths were officially opened on May 9, 1931. It was constructed of reinforced concrete, measured 150 feet by 50 feet and ranged in depth 4 to 8 feet. There were dressing rooms for up to 200 bathers, a gallery seating up to 200 people and a spacious balcony for social functions. It was demolished when the Tobruk Memorial Pool was opened.
Sources: TROVE Newspapers; State Library of Queensland; A Thematic History of Cairns by the Heritage Alliance 2011.
